Osinbajo to UCH, others: embrace innovation to overcome poor funding

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday advised the management of the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and other government institutions to embrace innovation to overcome funding challenges.

He said government alone cannot fully fund them.

Osinbajo spoke at the hospital’s 60th anniversary lecture in Ibadan.

After praising the hospital for its breakthroughs and impacts in the last 60 years, the Vice President noted that the decadence that afflicted Nigerian institutions since the 1990s would not go away by wishful thinking or by expecting that government would suddenly provide enough money to solve their challenges.

He urged the UCH to “aggressively and creatively grow its partnerships, linkages” and engagement with the private sector and philanthropic organisations as well as individuals to deliver superior healthcare service to Nigerians.

Osinbajo advised the management of the hospital to create the picture of where UCH would be in the next 10 years and leverage on partnerships, collaborations and linkages to support government funding in the quest to achieve the dream.

The Vice President said governments all over the world are not fully responsible for the funding of education and healthcare, adding that creativity and innovation of managers of such institutions would address the funding shortfall.

He stressed the essence of new technologies in delivering improved service in the hospital system.

According to him, the infrastructural deficit arising from neglect in past years remains the greatest challenge of government today.

Osinbajo added that the Muhammadu Buhari administration had been spending more than any other administration to address this problem.

For instance, the Vice President said around N1.3 billion had been budgeted for capital projects in the 2018 budget, the highest in recent history of the country, even in percentage.

“However, this amount is still very far from what we actually need to fix infrastructures in Nigeria. So, we must integrate the private sector,” he said.

Osinbajo noted that the UCH could be a global centre of excellence, if it embraced innovation by involving the private sector.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof. Temitope Alonge said the UCH had largely achieved its mandate of training healthcare workers who will serve all over Nigeria and other West African countries as well as render high quality medical service to patients.

The CMD said the breakthroughs of the hospital include nuclear medicine, heart surgery and geriatric care.

He called for improved funding for the institution, saying it received only about 25 per cent of what it needed for overhead expenses.

Health Minister Prof. Isaac Adewole said the UCH was among four federal hospitals to be renovated with funds from the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).

The minister said the Federal Government was determined to ensure the success of the project.

He said N9 billion was provided for the UCH in the 2018 Appropriation, adding that the government had approved the promotion of about 700 of its workers for this year.

Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi praised the hospital and pledged his administration’s continued support and partnership with it.

Ajimobi said the future looked bright for the hospital, adding that UCH added to the uniqueness of Ibadan and Oyo State.

He said the newly inaugurated Kensington Adebutu’s Geriatric Rehabilitation Centre and the Cancer Centre, whose foundation was being laid, offered hope of a greater future for the hospital.

The Vice President inaugurated the rehabilitation centre and turned the sod of the cancer centre as part of the anniversary celebration.

He called for improved remuneration for medical workers and urged philanthropic Nigerians to support the health and education sectors.

At the lecture were Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was represented by Dr Femi Majekodunmi; the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji and his Lagos counterpart, Oba Rilwan Akiolu.

Emeritus professor of Medicine, Theophilus Ogunlesi, who is also the first professor of Medicine in Nigeria, presented the lecture.

Several professors of Medicine and community leaders attended the programme.

Also, Oba Akiolu ignored Oba Saliu Adetunji at the event.

Dignitaries, including Vice President Osinbajo, Governor Ajimobi and Oba Akiolu had taken their seats on the high table.

Oba Adetunji came in much later.

The Lagos monarch sat on the left end of the platform.

As the Olubadan walked up the stairs to the high table to join other dignitaries, from the left side where Oba Akiolu was the first on the row, the Lagos monarch looked away.

Even Ajimobi, who many people believed was not in good terms with the monarch, rose up to welcome the monarch.